Literacy rate, adult total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Literacy rate, adult total was 99.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1988–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of people ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) is 99.0%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 99.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 92.2%, in 1988.
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 3rd of 39 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of people ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 92.2% | — |
| 1989 | 92.3% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 92.5% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 92.8% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 93.0% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 93.2% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 93.4% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 93.6% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 94.0% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 94.2% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 94.5% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 94.7% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 95.0% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 95.2% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 95.3% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 95.5% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 95.6% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 95.8% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 95.7% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 95.9% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 96.0% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 96.8% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 97.4% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 97.9% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 98.1% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 98.2% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 98.3% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 92.2% | 92.2% | 92.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 93.6% | 92.5% | 94.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 95.7% | 95.0% | 96.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.3% | 97.4% | 98.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.9% | 98.8% | 99.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- 1 Uzbekistan 100.0% compare
- 2 Armenia 99.8% compare
- 3 Azerbaijan 99.8% compare
- 4 Tajikistan 99.7% compare
- 5 Spain 99.7% compare
- 6 Georgia 99.7% compare
More education data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 15.66 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1746 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0626 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 28.09 million (2024)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 906,553 (2024)
- Population ages 0-14 22.7% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 65.7% (2025)
All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Literacy rate, adult total in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 99.0% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 99.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult total recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 92.2% in 1988.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for literacy rate, adult total?
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 3rd out of 39 groups with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate, adult total rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.